Child Care: When to Keep Your Child at Home

Your child should not attend child care if he or she is too ill to participate in the regular program activities or requires more care than staff members are able to provide. Talk to your doctor before allowing your child who has been ill to attend group care. Get assurance that the condition is not contagious or serious.

Keep your child at home when he or she has the following symptoms or conditions:^{Reference 1}

• Fever, irritability, lack of energy, trouble breathing, persistent crying, rash with fever or behavioral change, or other signs of severe illness
• Diarrhea or stools that contain blood or mucus
• Belly pain for 2 or more hours
• Vomiting two or more times within the past 24 hours (unless it is from a noncontagious disease and the child is not at risk for Reference dehydration Opens New Window)
• Mouth sores (until they are crusted and dry)

Keep a child who has been diagnosed with any of the following diseases out of group care until a doctor tells you it is safe:^{Reference 1}

• Reference Tuberculosis Opens New Window
• Reference Impetigo Opens New Window
• Reference Strep throat Opens New Window
• Reference Scabies Opens New Window
• Reference Chickenpox Opens New Window
• Reference Rubella Opens New Window
• Reference Whooping cough Opens New Window, also called pertussis
• Reference Mumps Opens New Window
• Reference Measles Opens New Window
• Certain Reference E. coli Opens New Window infections or similar infections
• Reference Hepatitis A Opens New Window

Reference Immunizing Opens New Window your child can help prevent some of these diseases as well as others not listed.

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